


Hunter of the Dead

by houkouonchi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Horror, Horror, M/M, Violence, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-21 02:50:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9528584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houkouonchi/pseuds/houkouonchi
Summary: Kakashi is used to hunting zombies, but this time, with his lover missing, the stakes of his hunt are much higher.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aviss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aviss/gifts).



> So, this turned out a bit darker than I’d intended it to be in some parts, then again, anything involving zombies is usually inherently dark! I tried to throw in some levity and although I desperately wanted to write an homage to The Walking Dead, because who wouldn’t want to imagine Kakashi in a sheriff’s outfit, I made it AU canon-ish. It needs another chapter, but I hope you like it so far! I’m so glad someone else loves horror and zombies! XD

Location: Outskirts of the Land of Valleys

The valley was too quiet for Kakashi’s liking. It was just after dark, but a chilling silence permeated the night, and neither animal nor insect, not even the wind seemed to stir. He marched forward cautiously, suppressing his chakra; it had been years since Kakashi had encountered an infestation of this scale.  

A strangled gurgle sounded in the darkness. Kakashi stopped, scanning for movement while drawing his katakana. If one of the creatures was lurking nearby, expending any amount of chakra to activate the Sharingan would only alert the horde to his presence. Taijutsu and physical attacks were his best and only hope against the infected.  

Kakashi smelled the corpse before he saw it and whirled around, slicing his sword around in a downward arc through its torso. The creature produced a strangled cry through a gaping hole in its rotted neck as Kakashi strike landed and crumpled to the ground. Always one for being thorough, Kakashi leaned down, intending to finish the job by making sure he destroyed its head, when he noticed it: a kunai, embedded firmly in the creature’s skull. The weapon protruded just enough for Kakashi to make out the distinctive markings on the handle. There was no mistaking it, the kunai most certainly belonged to Iruka. 

Dislodging the kunai with an expert twist, Kakashi stored it in his pouch and returned to the task at hand. He drew back the handle of his katana and smashed it into the zombie’s skull, feeling satisfied with the crunch it made. Wiping one hand on his flak jacket, he withdrew Iruka’s kunai from his pouch and sighed. A wave of nausea washed over him at the possibility that he might be too late, but he pushed the thought from his mind.  

“Iruka, you better not be dead.”

***

Kakashi turned Iruka’s kunai over in his hand, watching as flames licked at the sides of a small fire pit and cast shadows against the walls of his make-shift shelter. Constructed from branches and other materials gathered from the forest, Kakashi had covered it with a dark tarp from his pack. It would not provide much protection from the creatures in an attack; but at the very least, it would conceal the enough light from the fire that it should not attract them. 

A slight rustling caught his attention and Kakashi effortlessly hurled the kunai so that it embedded itself in a nearby tree.

“Show yourself, or the next time I won’t miss,” Kakashi growled into the darkness. 

A tiny figure emerged from behind the tree and moved forward just enough for the fire to cast light on it.

A small girl stood before the fire, her expression a mixture of defiance and fear. Her hair was matted and it was apparent by the smell that the shabby clothing she wore had not been washed in some time. 

“What are you doing out here all alone?” Kakashi questioned. It felt odd to him that she could survive in these woods, even under normal circumstances. 

The girl’s lip rose in a half snarl. “I’m not alone.”  

A man shuffled from the tree and made his way to stand beside the girl, who exclaimed, “This is my father and if you don’t do what we say, we’ll kill you!”

Kakashi stood up and flashed past the two to retrieve the kunai. He noted the incredulous looks on their face as he settled back at his perch next to the fire, casually spinning the kunai between his fingers.  Minato would have been proud.

“How did you…” the girl gasped, “I didn’t even see you move!” The rebelliousness look she’d worn earlier was completely gone, replaced with one of disbelief.   

“Because this is what a real shinobi looks like, Reha.” The old man bowed to Kakashi. “I apologize shinobi-san, it has been awhile since we have encountered the living.” 

Kakashi eyed the man wearily. He didn’t trust anyone willing to use their child as zombie or raider bait, but knew he could dispatch them both easily if necessary. 

“Have a seat, I was just about to make dinner.” Kakashi motioned for the pair to sit down next to the fire. 

Reha and the man sat across from Kakashi, observing his rations with ravenousness looks in their eyes. 

“It isn’t much, just rations,” Kakashi mused, breaking apart the dried food and handing a piece to each of them. He had no doubt that if it weren’t for who he was, they would have turned on him in an instant. 

Reha bit into her portion without hesitation.

“Slow down Reha, this will have to last us for days,” the man cautioned. 

“But father,” the grungy girl whined. 

Kakashi passed the man another handful of ration. 

“Thank you, sir!” the man grasp the rations and Kakashi’s hands. “You are too kind. I have not known shinobi to be so caring.”

His instinct was to yank his hands from the man’s grasp immediately, but he needed these two for information. 

“What do you know of ninja?” Kakashi asked, resisting the urge to punch the man and removing his hands gently. “Where have you traveled from?” 

“My name is Rinku, this is my daughter, Reha.” He gestured to the small girl still furiously eating, “and we’re from Tanigakure.” 

This piqued Kakashi’s interest. “How did you end up out here?” 

Rinku shuddered. “Haven’t you seen them…the…. zombies?” he whispered.

Is that what people were calling them here?  

“Zombies? I haven’t heard them called that, but yes, I’ve seen them.” Kakashi replied. 

“No one in the village knew what they were and the shinobi took care of them, at first,” Rinku continued, “but the trickle soon turned into a flood, and before we knew it, the village was overrun.”  

The man visible slumped and Kakashi noticed the anguish in his eyes for the first time. 

Rinku shook his head slowly. “We couldn’t save them…my family, our friends, they're all gone, except,” his eyes flitted over to Reha. “She was the only reason we managed to escape. She just started her ninja training and convinced me to come out into the forest to watch her perform some of her special tricks.” Rinku looked over at Reha. “What do you call ‘em?”

Reha, who was indulging herself with Kakashi’s proffered rations, lowered her food and turned her attention to her father. “I’ve told you a million times, they’re called jutsu!” 

“Right, jutsu, and when we tried to return home, it was too late, so we’ve been on the run ever since.” Rinku finished, ruffling Reha’s hair, who by now had turned her attention back to her food. 

Is that why her father had her trying to attack people, because she was a young shinobi in training? That made Kakashi despise the man even more. 

Kakashi sighed. “Rinku, let me give you a piece of advice. You shouldn’t rely on Reha to protect you.” 

Rinku bristled at the accusation. “Listen, that’s not what–”

Kakashi raised his hand, cutting the man off, “From what little knowledge I’ve gathered from my encounters with these things, it is clear that they are strangely attracted to chakra. If Reha uses any ninjutsu that requires significant chakra whatsoever, you’ll have a horde devouring you before you can even utter the word jutsu. I think it’s best for you two to find some weapons and get as far away from here as you can.”  

Rinku glanced worriedly over at Reha. 

“Shinobi-san,” Reha spoke up, seeming much more timidly than her previous demeanor implied, “can’t we just stay with you? You could train me!” 

“Th..that’s right! She needs someone who can show her how to control her techniques. What do you say?” 

While Kakashi believed the girl’s interest was genuine, he knew the only reason Rinku wanted to stay with him was for protection. 

Kakashi shook his head and Reha’s shoulders drooped with disappointment. “I’m looking for someone,” Kakashi intoned. “Have either of you seen another ninja come this way, with dark brown hair and a scar across his nose?” 

“We did run into one man, I think Iruka was his name,” Rinku explained, “but the last time we saw him, he was holed up in a cabin on the outskirts of the village. It’s surely overrun by zombies now.”  

Kakashi furrowed his brow and hoped the alarm he felt didn’t show in his eye. He knew Iruka was more than capable of taking care of himself, but even he would be pertubed taking on wave after wave of those creatures by himself. 

“I see,” Kakashi said nonchalantly and stoked the fire. “I am leaving here in the morning and suggest you two do the same. I’ll leave you some kunai and rations and I will point you in the direction of Lightning Country. You should be safe there, as long as the infection hasn’t spread beyond these borders.”

Kakashi knew that Iruka would have scolded him for being so harsh. He wished there was something he could do, but he couldn’t risk having an inexperienced shinobi in training and a civilian tagging along to where he planned to go. 

Rinku looked at Kakashi incredulously. “You’re just going to leave us?!”

Reha placed a hand on her father’s arm to quiet him. “Shinobi-san, you’re going in after him, aren’t you?” she said sadly. Kakashi was surprised at how perceptive she seemed and regretted that he hadn’t met her under different circumstances. 

“I am.” Kakashi turned toward Reha, an intensity burning in his voice, “Now, Reha, you need to practice suppressing your chakra if you are to survive. You gave yourself away earlier and had it not been me, things might have ended very differently.”

Reha nodded fervently, looks of fear and determination mingling in her eyes. “I will,” she whispered, “if you can show me how.”

Kakashi’s one visible eye crinkled in a smile. If only Iruka were here, he knew would know what to do. “This is the best training I can give you right now.” There wasn’t much he could do for her father. While every living being had some amount of chakra, it was far more difficult for those without any training to control. He hoped some of the techniques he taught Reha in his crash course would rub off on her father. 

“Thank you, shinobi-san,” Reha smiled. 

Kakashi was normally weary of giving his name, any good shinobi knew how dangerous revealing their identity could be, but he wasn’t worried. Despite his training, he knew these two probably wouldn’t make it very far. “You can call me Kakashi,” he said warmly. 

***

Not that ninja believed in any gods, his current predicament seemed like a divine joke. He had found the cabin Rinku had described: covered in entrails and surrounded by zombies. He had reasoned that his best bet of even getting close was to pretend he was one of them and suppress his chakra completely. Even without his chakra, he sensed Iruka was there and when he caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure through the thinly covered windows, the shape was familiar. 

Surprisingly, his plan had worked out so far, now he just needed to figure out how to get inside. If he tried to disable the traps and burst through the door, would it alert the horde, which was slowly milling about, and turn them into a bloodthirsty mob? He couldn’t risk revealing Iruka’s safe house.

Kakashi shuffled to and fro within the mass, slowly making his way around the house, scanning for any areas that could possibly be breached. Iruka had done an admirable job of shoring up the cabin, placing mines and traps around the perimeter, but he had to find a way to reach him. Even summoning a ninken would alert the zombies. Kakashi was just about ready to chance it when he noticed the chimney jutting out of the cabin’s roof. Surely, Iruka had placed traps there too, but being on the roof would give him time and the advantage of height. He would have to wait until nightfall to make his move. 

***

Kakashi had avoided the perimeter traps and scrambled onto the roof without a problem once it was dark; now he just had to undo Iruka’s seals and scramble down the chimney. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi concentrated, trying to use the least amount of chakra possible to undo the traps one by one. Iruka would sense him, along with the zombies. With the release of his chakra, the zombies milling around the house turned, one by one, and started making their way toward the cabin. Kakashi heard explosion after explosion and he knew the creatures were getting too close. 

“Ah, screw this!” Kakashi exclaimed, undoing all of the traps at once, and shimmying down the chimney. He landed with a thud, but stayed on his feet and jumped out of the fireplace. 

Kakashi heard Iruka before he saw him and threw out his forearm, blocking the windmill shuriken the other man had attacked him with. Iruka withdrew immediately, in surprise. 

“Kakashi?!” 

“Ta-dah,” he said wanly, holding out the shuriken in a mock flourish as if he’d just performed a magic trick.  

“What the hell are you doing here?” Iruka demanded. 

Kakashi dropped the weapon and swept Iruka up in a hug. “The Hokage declared you MIA and I just couldn’t sit back and wonder what had happened to you.” 

Iruka slumped against Kakashi, nuzzled his face against Kakashi’s neck and sighed. “This was really stupid of you. I wish you’d hadn’t come. And now, both of us are trapped.” 

Kakashi grabbed Iruka by the shoulders and pulled away so that he could look into the younger man’s face. “Look Iruka, I know you don’t need saving, but what kind of lover would I be if I didn’t at least try to find out what had happened to you? At least this way, it’s two against…” Kakashi feigned counting on his fingers, “one million and one!” 

Iruka chuckled weakly. “I suppose that’s true. Although, I can’t leave until I finish my research.” 

For the first time since he’d entered the cabin, Kakashi scanned the room and started slightly at what he saw. Formulas and notes scrawled across every wall, beakers and test tubes covering a large table in the center of the room, and specimens of something Kakashi wasn’t sure he wanted to know the origin of in the corner near the bed. 

“Iruka,” he whispered, all the previous playfulness gone from his voice, “just what have you been doing here?” 

Another explosion sounded in the distance, and a cacophony of moaning and scratching outside made up the background to their reunion as Iruka smiled. “Let me show you…” 


End file.
